1001 - Circle of Desiderio da Settignano

Circle of Desiderio da Settignano Bust of a young man marble h. 59 cm (according to family tradition): since the 1920s private family property, Austria; since 2016 in the posession of current owner by inheritance The bust, which has been in private hands in Austria for several generations, is impressive at first glance for its strength and expressiveness. The touching depiction of a young man was probably last given conservational attention in the 19th century. Now that it has been carefully cleaned and restored, its very specific sculptural qualities are even more perceptible. It refers to the exquisite circle of early busts made of stone created in the 15th century in and around the artistic Renaissance centre of Florence. The depiction of a young man is particularly close to the work of Desiderio da Settignano and his very distinctive canon of forms. The artist is one of the most enigmatic sculptors of the early Renaissance: born in Settignano, near Florence, into a family of local stonemasons; died in Florence, where he had joined the guild of carpenters and stonemasons in 1453. Only three large, free-standing figures can be associated with the sculptor, including the Martelli "Youthful St John the Baptist" (Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, inv. no. 435), which in the past has repeatedly been attributed to Donatello (c. 1386-1466) and has even been discussed as a joint work by the artists. Desiderio da Settignano is considered one of the outstanding masters in the sphere of influence of the great sculptor, Donatello, who has shaped the concept of Renaissance sculpture per se to this day. He is also documented as the inventor of the new genre of child busts. For example, small-format busts of boys which, as ideal representations of infant Jesus and John the Baptist, were intended above all to encourage the next generation to behave virtuously by identifying with the sacred role models - so it is not surprising that this bust, according to family tradition, was also regarded as a representation of the youthful John the Baptist. With these exceptionally vivid busts, Desiderio da Settignano created the earliest boy portraits of the Renaissance, which convey to us the subject's state of mind in a very immediate, direct and natural way. The artist concentrates here exclusively on capturing and characterizing the expression of the subjects - the rendering of details becomes secondary. In the bust presented here, too, the artist is concerned with depicting the proud posture of the young man. Everything that could be distracting is pushed into the background, such as the garment, or is omitted entirely, like a possible headdress. The reproduction of the collarbones, for example, is of particular importance and thus focuses on the volume of the body. Donatello as well as Desiderio da Settignano are considered to be formative for their work and today's reception of the Florentine Renaissance. Due to the lack of contemporary sources, as well as the change of ownership over the centuries, which is only documented in exceptional cases, clear attributions of artists are rare, even in museum collections. This applies all the more to the artists working in Settignano at the same time and developing in the shadow of the great genius Donatello - such as Desiderio's brother, Geri (1424-c. 1470), who also grew up in their father's stonemasonry workshop, Giuliano da Maiano (1432-1490), Antonio (1427-1479) and Bernardo Rossellino (1407/1410-1464), as well as Francesco di Simone Ferrucci (1437-1493), Desiderio's most important pupil. Among the most beautiful of these small-format works in this artistic-elitist context are, for example, Desiderio da Settignano's "Laughing Boy" (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Inv.-Nr.: Kunstkammer, 9104, cf. fig, 2) and the work identified as "Christ Child" (National Gallery of Art, Washington, Inv.-Nr. 1943.4.94), both dating from the early to mid-1460s. Antonio Rosselino's (1427-1479) "The Young Saint John the Baptist" (National Gallery of Art, Washington, inv.-no. 1943.4.79, figs. 1 & 3) should also be mentioned here as a stylistic parallel. Restoration by Mag. Karl Scherzer (certificate 26 January 2023). Differenzbesteuert (30% im Aufgeld ist eine 20%ige Umsatzsteuer enthalten) / Differential Taxation (30% including 20% sales tax) Additions to our Rules of Procedure: https://imkinsky.com/en/additions-to-our-rules-of-procedure